Colostomy Care: Guide to Proper Colostomy Irrigation
A colostomy requires a lot of medical care and attention to keep your bowel movements flowing regularly. A colostomy is when you have an opening through your abdomen, which is a stoma, and it brings fecal material to the surface and into a colostomy pouch. One of the many aspects of caring for a colostomy is proper irrigation, which means putting a fluid into the stoma to empty the bowel. This process of irritating your colostomy might also be called an enema. Irrigation will allow you to have a bowel movement in a timed manner, which is great for people who have descending or sigmoid colostomies. In order to properly irrigate your colostomy, there are several steps you must take and this guide will teach you how to do just that.
In order to properly irrigate your colostomy, you should always consult a nurse or doctor before taking on the task yourself. A trained specialist will help you figure out which irrigation method is best for you depending upon the type of colostomy you have. Once you have talked to a medical professional then you can follow some easy tips to properly irrigate your colostomy.
– The first thing you will need is a plastic container specifically for irrigating your colostomy. The container has a long tube in it and there is also a cone which will allow water to run into the colostomy. An irrigation sleeve is also needed, which will allow the fecal material to enter the toilet and drain promptly. An adjustable belt and a tail closure should also be used and attached to the irrigation sleeve.
– When you are irrigating your colostomy, you want to always irrigate the same time of day everyday. This should be a time of the day when you will not be interrupted and you know that you will be able to take care of your colostomy. This might be an hour before your children get home from school or it might be while you are watching your favorite television show. You just want to make sure that you have proper time to devote to irrigate your colostomy in privacy without worrying about interruptions or other activities going on.
– You should first fill the irrigation container up with about 20 to 50 ounces of warm water. This water should not be hot or cold, but similar to room temperature for best results, which might take some time to figure out. The reason why the range of water is so wide is because each person will need a different amount of water to properly irrigate their colostomy. The amount of water you should use specifically for your type of colostomy should be discussed with your doctor before you attempt to irrigate at home. The container should also be at a height were the bottom of the container is about your shoulder-level. You also have a choice when it comes to whether you stand up while irrigating your colostomy or whether you sit down in a chair. Whichever method is most comfortable and the easiest for you to irrigate your colostomy is the method you should use.
– The adjustable belt should be attached to the irrigation sleeve at this point so you can place the belt around your waist. You want to make sure that the irrigation sleeve is over the top of your stoma so that no fecal material can leak out. The end of the irrigation sleeve should then be directed into the toilet bowel, which will be where the voided bowel movement will end up.
– Air bubbles might be building up in the irrigation tube during this time, so it is important that you get all of the air bubbles out by releasing the clamp. You should also allow a very small amount of water to get into the sleeve before you clamp the tube back into place. Take the end of the cone and moisten it with water or lubricating jelly, whichever you find to be easier while you irrigate your colostomy.
– The tip of the cone should be placed about two-inches deep into the stoma at this time. You want to make sure that the cone is tightly-fitted into the stoma, but you should not force it or place it very deep because this could cause problems. The clamp on the tubing should be released, which will allow water to flow freely into the stoma. The water needs to go into the stoma at a slow pace, which might take up to ten minutes to accomplish. The cone should stay in place afterward for about 20 seconds before being removed.
– Once you have removed the cone from your stoma, you can allow the fecal material and other materials to drain out into the irrigation sleeve. This process might last up to 20 minutes, depending upon the colostomy you have and how much fecal material is involved. The irrigation sleeve needs to then be dried and the bottom of it needs to be clipped to the top using a clamp or tail closure. The water and stool might take about 45 minutes to fully be removed from your body, and you are allowed to move during this time. The material should then be drained out from the sleeve and placed in the toilet. Finally, you should clean the stoma and surrounding area with soap and warm water and pat dry with your hand or with a towel.
As you can see, irrigating your colostomy is very easy once you have talked to your doctor about doing this procedure at home. The time and difficulty of irrigating your colostomy will depend upon many factors including the type of colostomy you have and how much fecal materials will be released. Irrigating your colostomy is a very important part of maintaining and properly caring for your stoma. Using this guide will help you become better at irrigating your colostomy and can really help you feel better about your colostomy.
